MANILA, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Gunshots were reported inside the Philippine Senate complex on Wednesday night amid tensions surrounding reports of an attempted arrest of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, prompting top government officials and security forces to rush to the scene.
Police sealed off parts of the complex while Senate security personnel and law enforcement agencies conducted assessments. The situation was later brought under control, and no injuries were reported.
Jonvic Remulla, secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, said Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos has ordered to secure the building for the safety of everyone.
"We are here to secure the building, not to arrest Senator Dela Rosa," Remulla said.
Dela Rosa was safe and wanted to rest, and had been assured that no arrest warrant for him would be served, Remulla said.
It was unclear who fired gunshots at the Senate, he said, adding that the building's cameras need to be checked to determine what happened.
National Bureau of Investigation Chief Melvin Matibag said that they had been told to "stand down," and had not received any orders to arrest Dela Rosa.
"Until we have an official order and coordination with all concerned agencies, we will not carry out any arrest," he added. ■